Replacing Brain Cells with Artificial Cells: A Solution for Aging and Mutations?

[bioquest]

Could replacing one or more parts of the cell, using artifical and or/biological material for the replacement(s) possibly make it so mutations did not cause aging in a way where the aging from the mutations is permanent except if/when organ replacements are done. Why/why not. if someone answers the question, could they say why they are qualified to answer it/how they know their answer is 100% correct? Its not a homework question, I asked someone about it before but it wasn't their area, thanks

 

[Vectus]

Could replacing one or more parts of the cell, using artifical and or/biological material for the replacement(s) possibly make it so mutations did not cause aging in a way where the aging from the mutations is permanent except if/when organ replacements are done.

From what I understand, aging takes place because of the cumulative buildup of mutations in the DNA of each cell, from any number of sources. As new cells replace older ones, they still carry all the mutations of their predecessors. Over time these mutations build up and tend to be detrimental to the overall function of tissues and organs, eventually leading to the collapse of some vital system or rendering the organism unfit to survive in its environment. The incorrect functioning of anyone cell or any group of cells is of little consequence so long as they can still be replaced by healthy ones.

It may be possible in the relatively near future though, via nanotechnology, to repress the growth and division of cells with mutations and at the same time encourage it in healthier ones, thus drastically reducing the effects of aging. It may even be possible to replace damaged DNA, and thus completely eliminate any effects of aging.

If someone answers the question, could they say why they are qualified to answer it/how they know their answer is 100% correct?

100% certainty exists only in mathematics. You will never find a (rational) scientist claiming to know absolute truth. I hope, however, that my answer is suitable.

 

[bioquest]

thanks Vectus I appreciate you answering

I guess my question is- is it possible with our current technology knowledge etc, to replace one or more parts of the cell, using artificial and/or biological etc material for the replacements, potentially make it so mutations did not cause aging in a way where the aging from the mutations (Im only talking about mutations that cause aging my question not relating to any other causes of aging) is permanent except if/when organ replacements are done...also is your answer correct/do you have the knowledge background etc to answer it (How so) I realize no one can guarantee 100% if the answer is correct though. For example you said it would maybe be possible to replace damaged DNA? is it possible to do that now? thanks

 

[Vectus]

I guess my question is- is it possible with our current technology knowledge etc, to replace one or more parts of the cell, using artificial and/or biological etc material for the replacements, potentially make it so mutations did not cause aging in a way where the aging from the mutations (Im only talking about mutations that cause aging my question not relating to any other causes of aging) is permanent except if/when organ replacements are done.

I'm not sure what you're asking. If it's something like 'is it possible to prevent mutations from becoming permanent?' then I'd say that doesn't really make much sense. A mutation happens when something causes the nucleotide sequence in the DNA to be changed (like changes to base pairs via insertion, deletion, duplication, substitution, ect). See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/mutationsanddisorders/possiblemutations

Any mutation a cell incurs in its DNA will be passed to any daughter cell it replicates, and any daughter cells those cells replicate, ect., ect. It may be possible to prevent mutation from occurring or fix one after it has occurred, but preventing it from being permanent? Cells get their instructions from the DNA by a complex process of transcription and translation called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression" , so if the DNA changes, so do the instructions. Do you see why this is an odd question? In order to make the cell function regardless of what the DNA tells it to do, you'd have to somehow rework that entire process!

Also is your answer correct/do you have the knowledge background etc to answer it (How so) I realize no one can guarantee 100% if the answer is correct though.

To my knowledge, yes. I'm certainly not an expert but I've taken a keen interest in various areas of biology and am fairly knowledgeable. I cannot guarantee anything I say is correct, but I will not make a claim about something without being confident I can back it up.

For example you said it would maybe be possible to replace damaged DNA? is it possible to do that now? thanks

I'd say with confidence that it will eventually be possible with nanotechnology to fix or repair damaged cells so that you never age. But that's only because its hard to place limits on technology, really. Anything that is theoretically possible may eventually be manipulated by technology. Being able to extend lifespans indefinitely is definitely something theoretically possible, and therefore almost certainly something science will accomplish in the relatively near future.

The real question is, when? At the moment, we are far from being able to perform such magnificent feats of bio-engineering. But who knows--we're currently leaps and bounds above what previous generations thought would be technologically possible at this time.

 

[bioquest]

so then right now, in your opinion vectus

with our current technology etc could replacing one or more parts of the cell, using artifical and or/biological material for the replacement(s) possibly make it so mutations did not cause aging except if/when organ replacements are done and/or replacing one or more parts of the cell are done.

you have the knowledge etc to answer this correctly, to you knowledge then, right? thanks

 

[Vectus]

I believe you are either mistaken or I am not understanding your question correctly.

There aren't specific mutations that cause aging. Aging is the result of mutations piling up in individual cells over time that eventually lead to whole systems weakening or failing.Does any of this help? If not, could you clarify what it is you're asking?

 

[bioquest]

Im not asking about specific mutations, the below referring to specific mutations its just referring to the possibility of making it so no mutations contribute to aging permanently.

a summary of my question is:

Could we make it so no mutations permanently contribute to aging (completely disregarding the fact that organ transplants/organ replacements could be done) By being able to replace one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material/things etc. keeping in mind our potential ability- with our current technology etc- to replace parts of the cell etc (ie multiple times, in different ways, etc)

and to the best of you knowledge, do you have the knowledge to answer this correctly..thanks

 

[Vectus]

a summary of my question is:

Could we make it so no mutations permanently contribute to aging by being able to replace one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material/things etc. keeping in mind our potential ability - with our current technology - to replace parts of the cell?

Aside from repairing the damage? Read my second post and check out the link regarding gene expression. Short answer: no. Longer answer: Possibly, but even if so, it's highly impractical and there exist better solutions.

And if you're asking if we currently have the technology to do any of this--no, we do not. Not by a long shot.

 

[bioquest]

could you answer these last questions then quickly? (Sorry the other question was stupid)

with our current technology etc could we repair all mutations that permanently (except when repaired) (disregarding the fact that we could use organ transplants/replacements) contribute to aging by replacing one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material etc and/or by repairing them other ways?

and in you're posts...you're trying to be as accurate as possible with your answers/posts? to the best of your abilities? Sorry I realized the other question was stupid and deleted it. Its just these last questions now (in this post)

 

[Vectus]

to your knowledge, you have the knowledge to make your posts in this thread have completely (although you can't gurantee that any posts have completely accurate information) accurate information and are to the best of your abilities making your posts in this thread have accurate information, right?

Why is this so important? Go do some googling or just ask for clarification or for credible sources if you are unsure about any information I give you.

and is your answer in the previous post that with our current technology etc we cannot make it so that mutations don't permanently contribute to aging (disregarding the fact that we could use organ transplants/replacements) right?

I've answered the same question multiple times now. I'm trying to be patient and help you out, but I will not respond again if you do not have anything new to say and continue to largely ignore the answers I give you.

 

[bioquest]

I realized you answered a question more than once sorry I am just sleepy and OCD I deleted one I am really sorry there's two questions left

these are the last two questions I have- could you quickly answer them with a yes/no?

with our current technology etc could we repair all mutations that permanently (except when repaired) (disregarding the fact that we could use organ transplants/replacements) contribute to aging by replacing one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material etc and/or by repairing them other ways?

and in you're posts...you're trying to be as accurate as possible with your answers/posts? to the best of your abilities? Sorry I realized my other question was stupid & deleted it these are the only questions I have left

 

[Vectus]

I realized you answered a question more than once sorry I am just sleepy and OCD I deleted one I am really sorry there's two questions left

these are the last two questions I have- could you quickly answer them with a yes/no?

with our current technology etc could we repair all mutations that permanently (except when repaired) (disregarding the fact that we could use organ transplants/replacements) contribute to aging by replacing one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material etc and/or by repairing them other ways?

No.

and in you're posts...you're trying to be as accurate as possible with your answers/posts? to the best of your abilities? Sorry I realized my other question was stupid & deleted it these are the only questions I have left

Yes.

 

[Evo]

with our current technology etc could we repair all mutations that permanently (except when repaired) (disregarding the fact that we could use organ transplants/replacements) contribute to aging by replacing one or more parts of the cell with artificial and/or biological material etc and/or by repairing them other ways?

With our "current technology", I'd say no. I think Vectus' explanation was very good. If you read through what he posted I think you will answer your own question.

 

[bioquest]

will mutations- specifically mutations- eventually kill you if nothing else does and even if there are no other causes of aging (Although obviously there are other causes of aging) (disregarding the fact that we could theoretically use just stem cells and/or organ transplants to make it so something doesn't have to die of mutations.) only answer if you can answer as accurately as possible..thanks

 

[kldickson]

I'm not sure what the information is on mutations, but one must take into account the fact that every time a cell divides, its telomeres, which are the protective 'capping' on the ends of the chromosomes, shorten. At some point, the telomeres on the ends of the chromosomes disappear and the DNA is damaged to the point where it cannot replicate, thus causing cell death, which is fairly important in aging; at some point, cells will simply not replace themselves.

 

[bioquest]

Could someone tell me what, the causes of aging are- someone just told me (some?) mutations are inherited and made it sound like they didn't contribute to aging (unless they're inherited?) So do mutations only contribute to aging when theyre inherited or do they contribute to aging regardless of anything (inheritence, etc) If they only contribute to aging when they're inherited, what causes aging.

will mutations (specifically, mutations- u can look up the types etc that there are) eventually kill you (no matter what)- even if there were no other causes of aging, and nothing other than the mutations killed you (Disregarding the fact that we could theoretically use just stem cells/cell & organ transplants to make it so something doesn't have to die of old age and/or mutations) Only answer if you can answer as accurately as possible..thanks

 

[Vectus]

Could someone tell me what, the causes of aging are-

We don't know for sure, actually. There are several theories, some with more evidence than others. The only thing we can be sure of is that there is no single cause of aging. One that's thought to be more influential than others, as an above poster pointed out, is telomere shortening due to cell division and the presence of free radicals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telomere#Telomere_shortening

See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aging#Biological_theories

someone just told me (some?) mutations are inherited and made it sound like they didn't contribute to aging (unless they're inherited?) So do mutations only contribute to aging when theyre inherited or do they contribute to aging regardless of anything (inheritence, etc) If they only contribute to aging when they're inherited, what causes aging.

It sounds like you're still confused as to what mutations are. If you read above, I tried to explain this to you:

A mutation happens when something causes the nucleotide sequence in the DNA to be changed (like changes to base pairs via insertion, deletion, duplication, substitution, ect). See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutation
http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/muta...siblemutations

Any mutation a cell incurs in its DNA will be passed to any daughter cell it replicates, and any daughter cells those cells replicate, ect., ect.

Mutations that happen in gametes that go on to fuse and create an embryo will be passed on to the new organism that is born. Mutations incurred in the individual cells of an organism during its lifespan can and do contribute to aging.

will mutations (specifically, mutations- u can look up the types etc that there are) eventually kill you (no matter what)- even if there were no other causes of aging, and nothing other than the mutations killed you

Any change to the nucleotide sequence of DNA is a mutation. Most all theories of aging include some mechanism that causes such a change. So yes. They will eventually kill you.

If you want to talk about a specific type of mutation, that would depend on what causes it and what factors are present in the environment that may contribute to it.

 

[kldickson]

The only cause of aging we can specifically pin down is being born.

 

[bioquest]

so you're saying that with our current technology, that nanotechnology can't make it so the mutations don't eventually kill us (Even if there were no other causes of aging and nothing other than mutations killed us) (disregarding the fact that we may or may not be able to use just cell/and or organ and/or dna transplants to make it so that mutations don't eventually kill us)

and you're saying that the things below are not possible with current technology etc?

It may be possible in the relatively near future though, via nanotechnology, (and/or other things) to repress the growth and division of cells with mutations and at the same time encourage it in healthier ones, thus drastically reducing the effects of aging.
I'd say with confidence that it will eventually be possible with nanotechnology to fix or repair damaged cells so that you never age.

 

[Vectus]

Reading comprehension is a very nice skill to have.

 

[bioquest]

If you respond to this post, make sure your responses to this post are and will be and were as accurate as possible
If you respond to this post, keep in mind etc that cell and/or tissue and/or organ transplant(s) can maybe be done at different times etc ie maybe they don't all have to be done at the same time etc

with our current technology etc

can artificial etc (non biological) cell(s) and/or tissue(s) replace biological cell(s) and/or tissue(s), in the brain of a person who is alive and/or can be alive at some point after getting the cell(s) and/or tissue(s) in their brain replaced with artificial etc (non biological) cell(s) and or tissue(s)

Could and/or can anyone etc turn the whole brain into something artificial etc (non biological) and have the brain still be able to be alive/conscious/something/anything etc at some point afterwards

More than thousands of brain cells would eventually have to be replaced, in order to make it so that mutations in the brain would not eventually kill the human/animal that the brain belonged to, right? I mean even if nothing else killed the human/animal that the brain belonged to

 

[mazinse]

If you respond to this post, make sure your responses to this post are and will be and were as accurate as possible
If you respond to this post, keep in mind etc that cell and/or tissue and/or organ transplant(s) can maybe be done at different times etc ie maybe they don't all have to be done at the same time etc

with our current technology etc

can artificial etc (non biological) cell(s) and/or tissue(s) replace biological cell(s) and/or tissue(s), in the brain of a person who is alive and/or can be alive at some point after getting the cell(s) and/or tissue(s) in their brain replaced with artificial etc (non biological) cell(s) and or tissue(s)

Could and/or can anyone etc turn the whole brain into something artificial etc (non biological) and have the brain still be able to be alive/conscious/something/anything etc at some point afterwards

More than thousands of brain cells would eventually have to be replaced, in order to make it so that mutations in the brain would not eventually kill the human/animal that the brain belonged to, right? I mean even if nothing else killed the human/animal that the brain belonged to

There are no such thing as artificial cells, no existing nano tech has that ability. Even if some briliant guy somewhere did make some artificial cells he will probably spend the rest of his life to get it to consume oxygen, go into division and differentiation

Unless you are talking about stem cells, yeah sure, but not current tech. As far as damaged cell with mutated gene product goes, if it's on the same tissue as the healthy cells, then the healthy cells can compensate for the bad cells.